mands, and trample upon the authority of that awful excellence to whom he owes his life, his motion, and his very being? If we confider it as a violation of the law of reafon, what can be more monstrous and unnatural, than for a man to rebel against the vicarious power of God in his foul? To refufe to live according to that part of him, whereby he is a man; to fuffer the ferine and brutish part to get the afcendant over that which is rational and divine; to refufe to be govern'd by thofe facred digefts, which are the tranfcripts of the moral nature of God; and to act against the very frame and contexture of his being. Laftly, If we confider it as a tranfgreffion against that great and fovereign law of promoting the common happinefs, what a monftrous evil muft that be which croffes and opposes the best of ends, and which is alfo propofed by the beft of beings; that for the intereft of an inconfiderable part (commonly ones felf) juftles the great wheel of fociety out of its proper track; that by pursuing a leffer, in prejudice to a greater good, difturbs the order of things, diflocates the frame, and untunes the harmony of the universe!

3. We may alfo hence conclude, that fin is the greatest evil that is, or that can poffibly be. For it is contrarily oppofed to the greateft poffible good; and confequently, muft needs be the greateft evil. And befides, 'tis that which in no case or juncture whatsoever, is to be committed; and therefore must be the greatest evil; because otherwife, it might happen to come into competition with a greater, and fo commence eligible; which is contrary to the fuppofition. Moreover, the greatness of this evil above all others, is a pofteriori, farther confirm'd from the greatness of the facrifice required for its atonement. God could not, or at leaft, thought not fit to femit it, without the fhedding of blood; and that too, of the blood of God. So great a fool is he, fo little does he confider, that makes a mock at fin.

4. Again, It may be hence collected, that no

formal

formal fin can be in its own nature venial. For according to the former measures, every formal fin, tho' never fo finall, is a fin against the greateft charity imaginable. For 'tis againft that charity, whereby I ought to promote the ends of God, and profecute the great intereft of the univerfe. And confequently, cannot be in its own nature venial, or pardonable without repentance.

5. Nay, may I not farther conclude according to the preceding measures, that 'tis very probable, that no fin could have been pardon'd even with repentance, had there not been alfo fatisfaction made for it; and that vindicative juftice is effential to the nature of God? For when I confider fin, I find it fo diametrically contrary to the effential fanctity of God, and fo deftructive of that great end which he cannot but propofe, that he muft needs hate it with an infinite hatred. But how he fhould do fo, and yet not punish for it, is hard to understand.

6. Upon these measures we may also find out a way of reconciling eternal punishments with divine juftice. The great objection is, what proportion is there between a tranfient act of fin, and eternal mifery? And if there be none, how is it confiftent with divine juftice to inflict the one for the other? This has been a great difficulty. But now, if we confider fin as contrarily oppofed to the greatest poffible good, the good of the univerfe; and conlequently, as the greateft poffible evil, its demerit will be fuch, that we need not fear 'twill be overpunish'd, even with eternal mifery. For if any mifery is to be endured, rather than one fin to be committed, 'tis also just that any may be, when it is committed. For the equity of both, depends upon fin's being the greatest evil.

7. The laft deduction which I fhall make from the premises is this, that he who throughly underftands, and actually attends to the nature of fin, cannot poffibly commit it. For as long as he does fo, he must look upon it as the greateft evil, otherwife he cannot be faid rightly to understand it. And if he look upon it as the greatest evil, he

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cannot

cannot chufe it, fo long as he continues in that judgment; because the then chufing it, would be the chufing of all that whereby it exceeds other evils, gratis; which is the chufing of evil as evil; which is impoffible.

8. Whofoever therefore confents to the commiffion of fin, paffes firft a wrong judgment upon it, has the light of his understanding darkned, and intercepted by a cloud of paffion, lofes the prefent conviction of fin's being the greateft evil, and fo commits it to avoid (as he then foolishly thinks) a greater. So that the cause and origine of all fin, is ignorance, folly, and inadvertence: There is a falfe propofition in the understanding, before there is any mifapplication in the will; and 'tis through the fwimming of the head that the feet flip, and lofe their ftation. And yet the finner is no way excufable for this his deception, because 'tis the ignorance of that which he habitually knows, and he might have attended better; and 'twas his fault that he did not.

9. And 'tis the recovering and awaking up into this conviction, that is the principle of repentance and reformation of life. When a man by the aid of grace, and the use of due attention, refumes his interrupted judgment of fin's being the greatest evil; he then comes again to himself, forms new refolutions never to commit it, and returns to the wisdom of the juft. So great reafon had the pfalmift to pray, O grant me understanding and I shall live, Pfal. cxix.

The PRAYER.

My God, who art pure light, and in whom there is no darknefs at all; who art pure love, and hateft nothing but fin, and hateft that infinitely; give me an heart after thine own heart, that I may alfo abhor it without measure, and without end. Open thou mine eyes, that 1. may fee those two wondrous things of thy law, the beauty of holiness, and the deformity of fin. In

fpire me with that charity which feeketh not her own, that I may ever propofe and follow that great and excellent end which thou propofeft, that I may ever adhere to that which is fimply and abfolutely beft; and never for any self-advantage, difturb the order of thy creation. O let me never fo far abuse thofe faculties thou haft given me, as to thwart the defigns of thy goodness and wisdom, and to interrupt that harmony, wherein thou fo delighteft. But let all my designs be generous, unfelfish and fincere, fo as chiefly to rejoyce at the good of thy creation, at whofe very material beauty the morning ftars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy. Holy Father, 'tis thy will that this thy great family fhould be profperous and happy, and the better part of it thy Angels, ftrictly conform to it; O let this thy will be done here on earth as it is in heaven; and grant that every member of this great body, may fo ftudy the good of the whole, that thou may'ft once more review the works of thy hands; and with a fatherly complacency, pronounce them good. Grant this for the fake of him who gave his life for the happiness of the world, thy Son Jefus. Amen.

G

II.

Ive me wifdom that fitteth by thy throne; and reject me not from among thy children. That wifdom which was with thee from the beginning; which knoweth all thy works; and was prefent when thou madeft the world; and knew what was acceptable in thy fight, and right in thy commandments. O fend her out of thy holy Heavens, and from the throne of thy glory; that being prefent, fhe may labour with me; that I may know, and throughly confider what an evil it is to affront thy authority, to break through the bounds which thou haft fet, to rebel against the most excellent and divine part of my nature, and to oppose that which thou lov'ft, and which is of all things the moft lovely. O let thy wifdom dwell with me, let my loins be always girt, and this my light always

N 3

burning,

burning, that I may never be deceiv'd through the deceitfulness of fin, nor feek death in the error of my life. Thy words have I hid within my heart, that I might not fin against thee; O grant me understanding and I fhall live. Keep I beseech thee, this conviction ftill fresh and fully awake in me, that fin is the greatest of all evils, that so the feas of none may ever drive me to do the thing which thy foul hates. Confider and hear me, O Lord my God, lighten my eyes that I fleep not in death. Amen, Amen.

An IDEA of happiness: Enquiring wherein the greateft happiness attainable by man in this life does confift.

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By way of Letter to a Friend.

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I.

SIR,

"T

Hough you have been pleas'd to affign me the task of an Angel, and in that refpect, have warranted me to disobey you; yet, fince a confiderable part of that experimental knowledge which I have of happiness is owing to the delight, which I take in your virtuous and e daring friendship, I think 'tis but reafonable I fhould give you an idea of that, whereof you have given me the poffeffion.

2. You defire to know of me, wherein the greateft happiness attainable by man in this life, does

confift: